“Not every disabled person is a beggar” – Mobility challenged entrepreneur laments over how people with disabilities are treated in Nigeria

A mobility challenged Nigerian entrepreneur and Disability Advocate, Fatimah Aderohunmu, has lamented over how people with disablities are treated like beggars. 

Fatimah, who was diagnosed with Muscular dystrophy in 2018 took to Facebook on Saturday, May 29, to express her displeasure and also educate people on how to treat the physically disabled. 

She wrote;

Am not sharing this for sympathy but I just wanna enlighten some people towards the way they treat people with disabilities.

The first thing people notice is the wheelchair. the first thing they see is the disability not the strength or ability in every disability.

I could remember during last year I went for my jamb exam,I was asked to stay somewhere downstair because I couldn’t climb stairs with my wheelchair and this guy walked up to me and gave me a money and I asked what for and he said I thought you’re a…he couldn’t finish his statement and I told him am a student here just like you are though I was very hurt that day but I don’t blame people for that but this mentality has to stop! Not every disabled person is a beggar.

The one thing that hurts me more is being treated like your life has ended. You even get abandoned by those who’re suppose to care for you.

Most especially in this country. Once you have a disability then you’re tagged “useless” you have no use, reason why we don’t have opportunities like the able bodied.why are we different?

Going out is a night mare for me, I get lots of stares wherever I go as if am the first wheelchair user on earth..that doesn’t bother me though! what bothers me is being carried everywhere. Why? Because our environment isn’t wheelchair friendly. the roads, malls, restaurants, schools heck even some private hospitals aren’t wheelchair friendly. You have to be carried around and that makes it hard for us to be totally independent and there’s nothing as depressing as depending on someone else.

This has to stop! Something needs to be done about this. We need the job opportunities too, we need to work and school without going through so much stress, we need to interact with people effortlessly, we need to be treated like we deserve to live too. Please help make life easier for people living with any form of disability.

We never wanted to be disabled…we never wanted to be on a wheelchair but we have no choice and it doesn’t happen by choice.